10 Most Germ-Infected Areas of Your Home

Every house-proud individual desires a clean home. Therefore, he doesn’t spare any effort when going about his dusting, wiping, sweeping, and mopping schedules. But even the most thorough cleaning routine may miss out some of the most germ-infested and yet not readily discernible areas in a typical house. These areas pose health hazards and the accidental overlook during a cleaning routine increases the chances of the inhabitants contracting diseases.

Your home is supposed to be your safe haven, protecting you and your family from the ails and impurities of the world outside. It is your retreat that you strive to keep hygienic with regular dusting and cleaning so that the inhabitants inside can be healthy and happy. There can simply be no doubt that you have in place an extremely meticulous cleaning regimen where you comb through the entire house to clean it of germs. But even the most thorough cleaning schedule may tend to miss out on the ten most germ-infected areas of your home. And it is not because you were sloppy but because you hardly realized that these common areas might attract germs too. So, here’s a list of the 10 most germ-infested areas in your house so that you can be more efficient when you next undertake a cleaning, dusting, and disinfecting job.

1.Door Handles

After a day of pottering about the garden, you come hot, dirty, and messy. Do you wipe clean the door handle after walking in? Or for that matter, do you wipe the door knob, fridge handle, switches, and cabinet handles after you touch them? So, you can well imagine the amount of dirt, dust, and grime that these surfaces accumulate over time. It is easy to overlook the door handles and cabinet knobs during your cleaning spree but these are some of the dirtiest and most germ-infested spots in your house.

A clean and disinfected house is the prime criterion to keep your family healthy and happy.

2.Remote Control

Tea, coffee, and cola spills that you ignore. Food crumbs that get lodged between the buttons and you hardly ever notice. Add to this all the germs that get transferred from the hands to its surface when you use it, and the innocuous remote control becomes a veritable haven for germs. What is more, these germs are transmitted to other members of your family when they handle the device.

3.Game Controllers

The more you handle an object, the dirtier it becomes. So, like remote controls, game controllers are also potential breeding grounds for germs. And what makes it more guilty is the fact that you tend to grip a game controller for longer periods. So, it is not only your fingers but also your palm that transfer germs to the surface of this device. Game controllers are often used by the children in a house, so the risks of infection and consequent illness from this device increase manifold times.

4.Stuffed Animals and Toys

That cute cuddly dog sitting on the shelf or that giant teddy bear that your child just can’t let go, can harbor a lot of germs. Not only are stuffed animals and toys handled frequently by your child but germs and bacteria also tend to cling to the soft, feathery, and often porous surfaces of these toys. So, even if a stuffed toy doesn’t look dirty, there can be a mammoth colony of germs hidden in its nooks and folds.

5.Condiment Caps

Now this is one object in a typical house that will tend to get missed during a cleaning routine by even the most conscious cleaner, that is, you. You open the cap to use some of the condiment—vinegar, some sauce, or whatever else—some of it spills on you and you then close the cap with the sticky substance on your fingers. The result is a greasy cap that attracts dust and dirt from the air around, which then get transferred to the contents inside. And unless you use a single-serving sachet, this scenario is pretty common in your home.

6.Pillows

You rest your head on one for hours throughout the night. You rub and bury your face on it and sometimes cough and sneeze. So, it is only natural that your pillow and pillow case will be hot spots of germs. What is disconcerting is that these germs also tend to lie embedded in the pillow.

7.Computer Keyboard

The many nooks and crevices of the computer keyboard that are simply impossible to be kept clean with the usual wipe down, is a happy hunting ground of germs and bacteria. Not only does it get dirty and grimy from the sweat and dirt from your fingers but it also attracts dust from the air around and not to mention, all the food crumbs and coffee spills that you leave behind after you have your snacks while checking mail. In fact, it is widely believed that some household keyboards may breed more germs than even the toilet bowl. The computer keyboard becomes even more of a health hazard when you consider that it is also used by the other members of your family.

8.Kitchen Rags and/or Sponges

Now these are real problem areas. These objects tend to be wet for long periods of time and thus are ideal breeding grounds for a host of bacteria. What is more, you would usually use the kitchen rag for a number of different jobs—to wipe your hands, wipe a spill on the kitchen counter, or when you need to handle a hot plate. Thus, the germs from the rag become transferred to other areas and objects of the kitchen.

9.Shoes

They have been all over the town with you and while you came home and washed yourself, they were stashed away in the cupboard, a dark and dank place filled with other dirty shoes. So, it is actually obvious that your shoes are some of the dirtiest and most germ-infected objects in your home.

10.Your Kids!

They are a pure joy around the house. But you should also be concerned about the amount of mud, grime, and all things dirty that they bring into the house from the school and the playground. So, teach them to thoroughly wipe their feet before they enter the house, wash their hands squeaky clean, cover their mouths when they cough or sneeze, and keep their rooms spick and span.

With an addition of the above-mentioned household areas and items in your cleaning list, it would take some doing to keep your house spick and span and absolutely germ-free. But of course, you wouldn’t mind the extra effort for the sake of your family’s health.

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